Ms. Marvel #6
There were several things I liked in this issue. For one, Carol's failure to tell Tony that she had seen Cap; he asked, and she didn't deny it--but she didn't volunteer the info, saying only that she didn't know where he was, which would have been true enough. It may be that he has guessed, from her phrasing, that she's seen him and not turned him in, in which case he's either showing a currently-uncharacteristic bit of kindness in not pressing the issue, or has taken it as a sign that Carol may not be wholly trustworthy and will keep an eye on her. For another, the whole interaction between Carol and Simon on their foray for fast food. So yes, still a good read, will will certainly be better when Civil War is over.
Moon Knight #4
Still a good story, although it's hard in places to figure out what's real, what's not real, and what's flashback. That's the point, I suppose :). I especially liked the scene with Marlene--how much there is still under the surface in this story. It moves gradually, but not slowly. It's possible that I'll tire of the unrelenting darkness eventually, but right now there's a real sense of something building up. Comics often try for that, more often than not they don't do it all that well--here, it works.
New Avengers #23
This is pretty much a Spider-Woman issue, and although I have a certain fondness for Jessica based in part on the nostalgia factor (I enjoyed her original book quite a bit when I was a kid), I have little fondness for her current portrayal. (And that's entirely apart from her habit of answering the door in her underwear. Who does that?) So. Iron Man is a dick, and no one should ever trust him under any circumstances. (I'm still hoping, fond as I am of Tony, that this is a side-effect of Extremis.) And I'm sure that being a secret agent with conflicting loyalties is confusing, but does Jessica have to be so, well, pathetic? The only reason she hooks up with the resistance is because "I have no place else to go"? That doesn't sound like the Jessica I grew up reading. She may have been uncertain at times, but she was never less than self-capable. We'll see next issue. Regardless, I have enough history with the Avengers book that it would take a lot more than this to drive me away from their current incarnation.
Nightwing #123
Not only one to throw back, but one to never again go anywhere near. I'd heard promising things about the title, but this is just not a guy I'm interested in reading about. (Also, was Dick's relationship with Starfire unwritten at some point during one of DC's revamps? I did read Teen Titans many years ago, and it seemed to be a fairly significant relationship.) In any case, no thanks.
She-Hulk #10
So, Jen and John are married, and may possibly have become particularly enamored of one another due to Starfox, somehow; Pug thinks he has evidence of this, but Jen is too busy trying to separate him from her wolfman-ized spouse to pay much attention. All right, so if their love was in fact created (or helped along) by an external force (which seems pointed at by the way Jen describes newlywed bliss to Patsy/Hellcat), what then? Jen seems inclined to leave it as is, but in the long run that's not going to fly. So...is the creepily cute (cutely creepy?) relationship between Awesome Andy and Mallory Book of similar origin? I'm sure that big revelations are on their way. I'm still enjoying this book. :)
Wonder Woman #2
A keeper, I think. The story is tolerable, the art is decent (there are even women who apparently wear a B cup! I didn't think they made those in spandex!) I am still looking forward to Diana's return to the role of Wonder Woman, but her current work isn't bad. Particularly well done in this issue, I thought, was Wonder Girl's anger and sense of betrayal. (I'd probably find it more affecting if I had any sense of the character--what I know of her is pretty much entirely from 52--but it's refreshing to see in any case.)
The eleven-year-old says it's confusing--that Diana and Donna look exactly the same--but I imagine that'll be less of a problem when the book settles in; however, at this point she can only give it an "it's okay."
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The August Comics, Part 2 [Spoilers]
Hawkgirl
It's official, this book is off the list. (We might still be getting another issue due to the order-early thing, but are not ordering any more.) I don't enjoy it. The eleven-year-old (you know, the Hawkgirlfan, the reason we ordered it in the first place) doesn't enjoy it. Dull story, unappealing art. (I really only like Chaykin in very specific applications, and apparently this isn't one of them--and the eleven-year-old commented specifically about not caring for the art.) We may give it another try somewhere down the road, if there is a change in the creative team, but until then there's no point in reading something that's so not fun.
Ion #5/12
Well, it's holding my interest. It helps that there's some earthbound action in addition to the space opera (my tolerance for cosmic is limited). I'm enjoying the characterization of Hal Jordan here (looking forward to the new main GL title now, actually), less so that of Kyle, who I've generally found to be fairly interesting up until now. But this book was never in danger of being cut, still more to like than not. I'm just not sure that I'm going to like Kyle as Ion as much as I liked him as Green Lantern.
Iron Man #11
Okay, Tony as a blond is still really weird. Memorable--Iron Man defeating the Sentry by playing directly on his weakness. It seems cruel, but it's effective, and apparently IM hadn't really given it a lot of thought (the "how" of bringing down a teammate) or he'd have done it sooner. Yes, I do want to see what happens next, although there's only one story in this arc and I'm not sure whether the next will have a Civil War focus or not. I've always liked Iron Man, conceptually, although certainly over the years the execution has been variable. Right now, quality is decent. I'm hoping that continues.
Justice League of America #1
All right, first of all, what I know about the Justice League comes from three sources: first, the recent cartoon series (never did watch Superfriends, our antenna didn't get that network when I was a kid); second, the JLA series from the late '90s/early '00s (which I've read in TPB form and have discussed here earlier, and which is the source of most of my expectations); and third, some of the Justice League International TPBs, which are damn funny but maybe don't provide the best cues for what the JLA is. Oh yes, and that Year One series, which I borrowed from my brother not long ago. :)
So, so far I like it. No clue who the Red Tornado is, but he was well introduced here. Enjoyed the discussion among Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman about who should get to be on the team; however, honestly, I really prefer the other idea that it was the other heroes that started the group--yes, Supes, Bats and WW are the most iconic characters, but making them somehow indispensable really weakens the notion of the group itself, I think.
Martian Manhunter #1
I wanted to like this book. I like J'Onn, or have in the past (although I'll admit that I've only ever seen him in JLA.). So far the characterization doesn't grab me, although I kind of like the less-human-than-usual way J'Onn is drawn (as often, his appearance reflects his state of mind). I am, however, interested in seeing what happens next, so will probably (although not certainly) continue with this series.
It's official, this book is off the list. (We might still be getting another issue due to the order-early thing, but are not ordering any more.) I don't enjoy it. The eleven-year-old (you know, the Hawkgirlfan, the reason we ordered it in the first place) doesn't enjoy it. Dull story, unappealing art. (I really only like Chaykin in very specific applications, and apparently this isn't one of them--and the eleven-year-old commented specifically about not caring for the art.) We may give it another try somewhere down the road, if there is a change in the creative team, but until then there's no point in reading something that's so not fun.
Ion #5/12
Well, it's holding my interest. It helps that there's some earthbound action in addition to the space opera (my tolerance for cosmic is limited). I'm enjoying the characterization of Hal Jordan here (looking forward to the new main GL title now, actually), less so that of Kyle, who I've generally found to be fairly interesting up until now. But this book was never in danger of being cut, still more to like than not. I'm just not sure that I'm going to like Kyle as Ion as much as I liked him as Green Lantern.
Iron Man #11
Okay, Tony as a blond is still really weird. Memorable--Iron Man defeating the Sentry by playing directly on his weakness. It seems cruel, but it's effective, and apparently IM hadn't really given it a lot of thought (the "how" of bringing down a teammate) or he'd have done it sooner. Yes, I do want to see what happens next, although there's only one story in this arc and I'm not sure whether the next will have a Civil War focus or not. I've always liked Iron Man, conceptually, although certainly over the years the execution has been variable. Right now, quality is decent. I'm hoping that continues.
Justice League of America #1
All right, first of all, what I know about the Justice League comes from three sources: first, the recent cartoon series (never did watch Superfriends, our antenna didn't get that network when I was a kid); second, the JLA series from the late '90s/early '00s (which I've read in TPB form and have discussed here earlier, and which is the source of most of my expectations); and third, some of the Justice League International TPBs, which are damn funny but maybe don't provide the best cues for what the JLA is. Oh yes, and that Year One series, which I borrowed from my brother not long ago. :)
So, so far I like it. No clue who the Red Tornado is, but he was well introduced here. Enjoyed the discussion among Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman about who should get to be on the team; however, honestly, I really prefer the other idea that it was the other heroes that started the group--yes, Supes, Bats and WW are the most iconic characters, but making them somehow indispensable really weakens the notion of the group itself, I think.
Martian Manhunter #1
I wanted to like this book. I like J'Onn, or have in the past (although I'll admit that I've only ever seen him in JLA.). So far the characterization doesn't grab me, although I kind of like the less-human-than-usual way J'Onn is drawn (as often, his appearance reflects his state of mind). I am, however, interested in seeing what happens next, so will probably (although not certainly) continue with this series.
The August Comics, Part 1 [Spoilers]
I added a few books to my list last month, and this month I'm trying to decide whether to keep them on the list or throw 'em back. I don't know if it's fair to make this decision based on 2-4 issues (since we order ours online, I'm ordering them several months before they arrive, so that's the minimum I'll get of what I decide to try out) but at $2.99 an issue, that's all they get.
The Atom #2
On the whole I'm still enjoying this quite a bit. The Byrne art gives it that nostalgia thing--actually there's something of an old-school feeling about the whole book. But mainly it's just a really fun read. A new superhero who isn't all angsty? Who finds the whole thing endlessly exciting? Who is probably going to pull some really stupid stuff in the process of learning about his powers? The book isn't yet in my read-it-first list but it could get there.
Fantastic Four #539
I think this is the first instance I've seen where the two sides on Civil War are shown as equal. According to Marvel, there's no one right side--there are good points on either side--which may be true intellectually, but anyone who's been reading the books knows that Cap's side has been, so far, presented far more sympathetically than IM's. Well, here that discrepancy doesn't exist. Both sides are presented as being in the wrong. Refreshing, no? Always did like Ben Grimm...
And yes, there's a lot of over the top in this storyline, but on the whole I liked it, and the message that while a principle may be worth fighting for, you can't look only at the principle, you have to watch how it's executed in the real world as well.
The Flash #3
I'm torn on this book. While it's good in many ways, Bart doesn't really interest me enough in this role to keep me coming back. However, the book also has Jay Garrick--if I could count on regular appearances from him, it'd definitely be on my keep list. In fact, he's partly responsible for one of my favorite comic moments of this month:
The default perception in comics is that--for women especially, but also for men--young = beautiful. Old can be virtuous, kind, brave, intelligent, but never attractive, never sexual. I do understand part of this--comic book readers are, on the whole, young folks (although not kids, not any longer), and for some reason (don't ask me why, I don't get it either) a lot of young folks are not comfortable with their elders being attractive, sexual beings. (You'd think they would be, considering that none of us are getting any younger.) So this small scene, where Joan Garrick is portrayed as a vibrant, attractive woman while also being portrayed visually as an older woman (not, as is often the case both in comics and in the rest of the world, as someone who looks younger than her years--folks these days can consider an older woman hot or sexy, but only if she doesn't look older)--that means a lot.
4: First Family #6/6
If this hadn't been a mini, I wouldn't have kept it on the list. The art doesn't appeal to me, and I still don't see the need for an external conflict. But the characterization is all right, although I'd have been happier if it had been closer to the original. I don't mean that Sue should have been shown as the air-headed shrinking violet she often was in the sixties, but she has grown a lot over the last 40+ years, probably more than any of the other members of the FF--and is really quite a different person now. You don't see much of that in this book.
Green Lantern Corps #3
I am still surprised at how much I like this book. The large cast helps, I'm sure. I'm still liking Soranik Natu a lot. (Oh yes, and she's still around. Spoilers here, remember?) The way they tricked the villain into coming to them? Great. The way they couldn't hold him because he had diplomatic immunity? Something you'd think an experienced Lantern would have thought of, so it's interesting to see where the focus seems to be for these folks. I'm wondering about Natu's choice of Iolande as a new Lantern, though--was this really the right choice, or did she have more personal motives. I wonder because of this image:
In the second panel, the ring frames Ragnar's face, indicating to me that Natu's focus is really on him rather than Iolande. It's certainly possible that Natu's motives were mixed and that Iolande is an excellent candidate. I suppose we'll find out eventually.
The Atom #2
On the whole I'm still enjoying this quite a bit. The Byrne art gives it that nostalgia thing--actually there's something of an old-school feeling about the whole book. But mainly it's just a really fun read. A new superhero who isn't all angsty? Who finds the whole thing endlessly exciting? Who is probably going to pull some really stupid stuff in the process of learning about his powers? The book isn't yet in my read-it-first list but it could get there.
Fantastic Four #539
I think this is the first instance I've seen where the two sides on Civil War are shown as equal. According to Marvel, there's no one right side--there are good points on either side--which may be true intellectually, but anyone who's been reading the books knows that Cap's side has been, so far, presented far more sympathetically than IM's. Well, here that discrepancy doesn't exist. Both sides are presented as being in the wrong. Refreshing, no? Always did like Ben Grimm...
And yes, there's a lot of over the top in this storyline, but on the whole I liked it, and the message that while a principle may be worth fighting for, you can't look only at the principle, you have to watch how it's executed in the real world as well.
The Flash #3
I'm torn on this book. While it's good in many ways, Bart doesn't really interest me enough in this role to keep me coming back. However, the book also has Jay Garrick--if I could count on regular appearances from him, it'd definitely be on my keep list. In fact, he's partly responsible for one of my favorite comic moments of this month:
The default perception in comics is that--for women especially, but also for men--young = beautiful. Old can be virtuous, kind, brave, intelligent, but never attractive, never sexual. I do understand part of this--comic book readers are, on the whole, young folks (although not kids, not any longer), and for some reason (don't ask me why, I don't get it either) a lot of young folks are not comfortable with their elders being attractive, sexual beings. (You'd think they would be, considering that none of us are getting any younger.) So this small scene, where Joan Garrick is portrayed as a vibrant, attractive woman while also being portrayed visually as an older woman (not, as is often the case both in comics and in the rest of the world, as someone who looks younger than her years--folks these days can consider an older woman hot or sexy, but only if she doesn't look older)--that means a lot.
4: First Family #6/6
If this hadn't been a mini, I wouldn't have kept it on the list. The art doesn't appeal to me, and I still don't see the need for an external conflict. But the characterization is all right, although I'd have been happier if it had been closer to the original. I don't mean that Sue should have been shown as the air-headed shrinking violet she often was in the sixties, but she has grown a lot over the last 40+ years, probably more than any of the other members of the FF--and is really quite a different person now. You don't see much of that in this book.
Green Lantern Corps #3
I am still surprised at how much I like this book. The large cast helps, I'm sure. I'm still liking Soranik Natu a lot. (Oh yes, and she's still around. Spoilers here, remember?) The way they tricked the villain into coming to them? Great. The way they couldn't hold him because he had diplomatic immunity? Something you'd think an experienced Lantern would have thought of, so it's interesting to see where the focus seems to be for these folks. I'm wondering about Natu's choice of Iolande as a new Lantern, though--was this really the right choice, or did she have more personal motives. I wonder because of this image:
In the second panel, the ring frames Ragnar's face, indicating to me that Natu's focus is really on him rather than Iolande. It's certainly possible that Natu's motives were mixed and that Iolande is an excellent candidate. I suppose we'll find out eventually.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Who Wants To Be A Superhero, Week 5 [Spoilers]
I have no idea whether the tone of this show is like that of most reality shows; my impression is that it isn't--I hear that most reality TV is pretty negative, and there really isn't much of that here. At this point everyone on ths show really seems to like each other, and although I know that a lot of that is probably situational (remember spending a week at camp as a kid, swearing at the end that you'll keep in touch with all your new bosom buddies...how long does that last for most of us?) but it seems to be genuine feeling as well. I think this may have to do with the nature of the contest--yes, it's important to win, to complete tasks, but the way in which they win is also important. To win, they have to demonstrate that they are good people, and hopefully they do so because they are good people.
In any case...
This week's first test had the heroes appearing before a classroom of young kids, to tell them about--well, I'm not sure how specific the intention was here, but the goal was for each hero to get as many kids as possible to choose them as their favorite. Feedback appeared to be at a disadvantage in this one, since he was clearly not as comfortable around kids as the other two (Fat Momma and Major Victory are both parents). And although Major Victory made a good showing (kids like entertaining) the winner here was Fat Momma, who spoke about the importance of accepting yourself as you are, something the kids seemed to relate well to.
In the second test, they had to go to Universal...something? Some place associated with Universal Studios, I think. They had to approach different people to find a series of clues enabling them to find Dark Enforcer. This one was near, with Major Victory making the best time and Feedback running a close second. Fat Momma took forty minutes longer than either of them, and since this was a timed test, that was bad (as, according to Stan, was her snitching food from various park-goers in order to stay in character).
And then it was time for an elimination. Here's where the first big drama of the show happened, as Fat Momma became very upset at that point and insisted on talking to one of the producers--she wanted to be taken off of the show, because she didn't want Feedback to lose. It was all a bit vague, but there were tears and hugs and she was eventually convinced to return to the show.
Finally Stan called all three up, citing what they had done, both good and not so good. But it was Major Victory who was cut. And why? Because Stan thinks he doesn't take it seriously enough--shows too much humor--is more of a parody of a superhero. And not quite what Stan was looking for.
Hm. Now, where would one get the idea that Stan was looking for a parody of a superhero? Perhaps from the generalizations that Stan himself has been making throughout the show? "Superheroes never take off their costume." "Superheroes never reveal their secret identity." "Superheroes don't make others feel bad, they make them feel better." All right, I will say that Stan was clearly not looking for the type of superhero he, himself, actually wrote about. (The FF never had a secret identity. The Avengers' Hawkeye and Quicksilver had a relationship most kindly described as thorny. And Spiderman's constant quipping puts Major Victory to shame.) In part his tests had to do with common superhero stereotypes (the secret identity, etc.) and in part they had to do with showing character. In either case, he wasn't really going for anything all that complex, although certainly it was subjective. If Major Victory was acting like a parody, it was because he could reasonably have expected it to be appropriate behavior given the light-side-of-the-Silver-Age take on comic book heroes that Stan was basing his decisions on.
However, it wasn't all that bad of an ending for Major Victory--as he was on his way out, Stan surprised him with a phone call from his estranged 16-year-old daughter, who had been cheering him on; since his stated goal in doing the show was to show her that he was a hero, you can't really say that he failed. Yeah, I know, happy drama this time. I was happy to see that he did cut off the conversation after a bit, saying that they'd pick it up later when they had more privacy. Actually, on the whole this show has done very well with regard to not invading the participants' privacy. I like that.
In any case...
This week's first test had the heroes appearing before a classroom of young kids, to tell them about--well, I'm not sure how specific the intention was here, but the goal was for each hero to get as many kids as possible to choose them as their favorite. Feedback appeared to be at a disadvantage in this one, since he was clearly not as comfortable around kids as the other two (Fat Momma and Major Victory are both parents). And although Major Victory made a good showing (kids like entertaining) the winner here was Fat Momma, who spoke about the importance of accepting yourself as you are, something the kids seemed to relate well to.
In the second test, they had to go to Universal...something? Some place associated with Universal Studios, I think. They had to approach different people to find a series of clues enabling them to find Dark Enforcer. This one was near, with Major Victory making the best time and Feedback running a close second. Fat Momma took forty minutes longer than either of them, and since this was a timed test, that was bad (as, according to Stan, was her snitching food from various park-goers in order to stay in character).
And then it was time for an elimination. Here's where the first big drama of the show happened, as Fat Momma became very upset at that point and insisted on talking to one of the producers--she wanted to be taken off of the show, because she didn't want Feedback to lose. It was all a bit vague, but there were tears and hugs and she was eventually convinced to return to the show.
Finally Stan called all three up, citing what they had done, both good and not so good. But it was Major Victory who was cut. And why? Because Stan thinks he doesn't take it seriously enough--shows too much humor--is more of a parody of a superhero. And not quite what Stan was looking for.
Hm. Now, where would one get the idea that Stan was looking for a parody of a superhero? Perhaps from the generalizations that Stan himself has been making throughout the show? "Superheroes never take off their costume." "Superheroes never reveal their secret identity." "Superheroes don't make others feel bad, they make them feel better." All right, I will say that Stan was clearly not looking for the type of superhero he, himself, actually wrote about. (The FF never had a secret identity. The Avengers' Hawkeye and Quicksilver had a relationship most kindly described as thorny. And Spiderman's constant quipping puts Major Victory to shame.) In part his tests had to do with common superhero stereotypes (the secret identity, etc.) and in part they had to do with showing character. In either case, he wasn't really going for anything all that complex, although certainly it was subjective. If Major Victory was acting like a parody, it was because he could reasonably have expected it to be appropriate behavior given the light-side-of-the-Silver-Age take on comic book heroes that Stan was basing his decisions on.
However, it wasn't all that bad of an ending for Major Victory--as he was on his way out, Stan surprised him with a phone call from his estranged 16-year-old daughter, who had been cheering him on; since his stated goal in doing the show was to show her that he was a hero, you can't really say that he failed. Yeah, I know, happy drama this time. I was happy to see that he did cut off the conversation after a bit, saying that they'd pick it up later when they had more privacy. Actually, on the whole this show has done very well with regard to not invading the participants' privacy. I like that.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Aw, man!
My monthly comics have shipped, and Captain America is not among them, because it doesn't come out until...next week? In any case, darn it! Still looks to be some good stuff in the magic box, but I'm disappointed, as Cap's book is one I really look forward to every month. (Now there's a sentence I wouldn't have typed a couple of years ago...)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Storing things
When I was a kid, and had far, far more time on my hands (not that I would have seen it that way at the time), my comics were in order.
No, wait. When I was a kid, they were in random boxes in my room. When I was a teenager, they were in order, which I guess meant that the boxes were less random. I'd put the new comics away every week, after reading them. When I made an occasional order of back issues, I'd do the same. It was rather uncharacteristic, as I was not an orderly or organized teen. But there it was. In no way were comics ever considered disposable. They were a sort of book, after all, and you don't get rid of books, you get more of them.
When I was in college, I learned about longboxes. My comic-buying became more erratic, but I seem to have a steady run of most books for that time period despite being 1000 miles from home at the time. I suspect my brother picked them up for me, although I honestly don't remember. And when I came home on break, I'd read them and I'd put them away. This time in the longboxes, with dividers between titles. Even tried bagging them for a while (although never boarding) but that didn't last long because it takes too long to take the book out of the bag to read it. (Patience is not one of my notable virtues. What did I do before the microwave ovens...wait, I know. I didn't cook.) It wasn't foolproof--somehow I managed to store my entire run of Invaders somewhere where I haven't been able to find it in years--but on the whole I know where things are.
At some point I gave up comics--some point in the 90s. I suspect a lot of folks gave up comics in the 90s. That just meant I didn't buy any new ones. I still had my longboxes on the back porch, and the occasional box in the basement.
And a few years ago I took them up again. About a year after that--a year with piles of comics balancing precariously on end tables--I ordered some shortboxes (is that what you call the shorter comic boxes?). The short ones because now the kids were reading comics as well, and I thought the longboxes would be too hard for a kid to manage. The shortboxes, they do fine with. So we have shortboxes now, and no good place to put them. That's when I do put them away. I still tend to have stacks in likely spots ("likely" = "I might want to sit here and read comics"). The stacks tip over, I pick them up and/or move them, and the cycle continues.
I'm considering getting longboxes again, because the short ones are starting to pile up, and while they do take up less horizontal space, when you stack them, they do eat into the vertical space. And they tend to tip over. However, there's a real plus to the shorter boxes: whereas the longboxes need to be kept somewhere where people won't trip on them, you can pick up a shortbox and put it next to your comfy chair to read at your leisure withough someone complaining that they can't get to the printer. So...maybe not.
Thing is, I know there's got to be a solution to this. Plenty of people, here on the internet and elsewhere, buy many more comics than I do, and they have to put them somewhere. I just need to figure it out.
No, wait. When I was a kid, they were in random boxes in my room. When I was a teenager, they were in order, which I guess meant that the boxes were less random. I'd put the new comics away every week, after reading them. When I made an occasional order of back issues, I'd do the same. It was rather uncharacteristic, as I was not an orderly or organized teen. But there it was. In no way were comics ever considered disposable. They were a sort of book, after all, and you don't get rid of books, you get more of them.
When I was in college, I learned about longboxes. My comic-buying became more erratic, but I seem to have a steady run of most books for that time period despite being 1000 miles from home at the time. I suspect my brother picked them up for me, although I honestly don't remember. And when I came home on break, I'd read them and I'd put them away. This time in the longboxes, with dividers between titles. Even tried bagging them for a while (although never boarding) but that didn't last long because it takes too long to take the book out of the bag to read it. (Patience is not one of my notable virtues. What did I do before the microwave ovens...wait, I know. I didn't cook.) It wasn't foolproof--somehow I managed to store my entire run of Invaders somewhere where I haven't been able to find it in years--but on the whole I know where things are.
At some point I gave up comics--some point in the 90s. I suspect a lot of folks gave up comics in the 90s. That just meant I didn't buy any new ones. I still had my longboxes on the back porch, and the occasional box in the basement.
And a few years ago I took them up again. About a year after that--a year with piles of comics balancing precariously on end tables--I ordered some shortboxes (is that what you call the shorter comic boxes?). The short ones because now the kids were reading comics as well, and I thought the longboxes would be too hard for a kid to manage. The shortboxes, they do fine with. So we have shortboxes now, and no good place to put them. That's when I do put them away. I still tend to have stacks in likely spots ("likely" = "I might want to sit here and read comics"). The stacks tip over, I pick them up and/or move them, and the cycle continues.
I'm considering getting longboxes again, because the short ones are starting to pile up, and while they do take up less horizontal space, when you stack them, they do eat into the vertical space. And they tend to tip over. However, there's a real plus to the shorter boxes: whereas the longboxes need to be kept somewhere where people won't trip on them, you can pick up a shortbox and put it next to your comfy chair to read at your leisure withough someone complaining that they can't get to the printer. So...maybe not.
Thing is, I know there's got to be a solution to this. Plenty of people, here on the internet and elsewhere, buy many more comics than I do, and they have to put them somewhere. I just need to figure it out.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Who Wants to Be a Superhero, Week 4 [Spoilers]
The seven-year-old's best friend, who had never seen this show, was visiting tonight; I figured there'd be no interest there but she was glued to the television. I think it was the competitive aspect, because she had no particular interest in any of the players.
So. This week's first test had the heroes on the street, trying to help out as best they could--buying used clothing to distribute to the homeless, shaming litterers into picking up their trash, helping folks to cross the road, etc., Stan watching and judging.
But the elimination didn't come from just this--it came after Dark Enforcer popped in to let Stan know he had interviewed the heroes' friends and family to learn their deep, dark secrets. Feedback's wife revealed that when he was at home, he was a slob. A former co-worker of Major Victory said something nonspecific about MV's career as a stripper (something Stan seems to have a problem with, for some reason, although it's something from his past). A friend of Creature told how, although Creature claims to be so environmentally oriented, in the past she once threw hotel items (ashtrays? towels? she didn't say) into a fountain. Fat Momma's mother told how Fat Momma wasn't always as accepting of her body as she is now, citing a period during which she dieted to try to lose weight. And a friend of Lemuria told how she was something of a man-trap. Here Stan called up Creature (not only had she littered, in the first test she had jaywalked, and that's against the law!); in addition, her response to what her friend had said was pretty poor (something along the lines of "that's the decision I made"), so it was no surprise when she was eliminated.
The kids were not especially bothered by the loss of Creature despite her girl-ness. I think they just never found her all that sympathetic.
The last test was an odd one. The heroes were taken to a site where convicts were doing road work, and each had to go and talk to the convicts. Each also had to perform a "secret task" during this conversation. There were four tasks, one for each hero--to hug a convict three times, to rub a convict's shoulder's three times, to brush back a convict's hair three times, and to sit on a convict's lap three times. Yeah. They broke it up so that Lemuria did the lap-sitting, Fat Momma the hair-touching, Major Victory the shoulder-rubbing, and Feedback the hugging.
Now, obviously these were not actual convicts, they were actors, and they were intentionally making things difficult. In any case, Lemuria got thrown bodily off of the woman she was trying to sit on (big surprise), Fat Momma barely managed to do the hair thing, Major Victory had to be pretty sneaky to touch anyone's shoulders, and Feedback was really the only one that was able to get the convict to agree to anything, trying to find some common ground beforehand.
Now, I actually had a problem with this last test. Although the heroes had been instructed to touch the convicts in these different ways, not only did the convicts themselves ask not to be touched during the scenarios, in several cases the guard (or person playing a guard) specified that the hero was not to touch the convict. Honestly, I half-expected Stan to fail all of them for going ahead and doing it, because they were going agaist the orders of a law enforcement officer. If Creature got into trouble for jaywalking, doing the opposite of what a police officer asks you to do should be of concern as well. You know, something like "Superheroes obey the law" or "Superheroes work with, not against, law enforcement." Obviously I misread that test.
At the end, when it was time for the elimination, Stan called up Lemuria and Major Victory--Lemuria because she had failed the test, and Major Victory because he's an ex-stripper (still haven't figured out why that's such a hot button for Stan, but whatever). Lemuria, of course, was the one to go.
I will say that these eliminations are getting almost painful to watch--each one more emotional, each eliminated member given a more intense goodbye. I think all three of the remaining contestants were teary-eyed this time (leading my dear spouse to say "They've been filming all day haven't they? They're all really tired, aren't they?").
The girls are disappointed at Lemuria's elimination--they liked her a lot, and were not bothered by the ambition she showed. They're kids, the idea of wanting to win a game is not alien to them. They're pleased that Fat Momma is still there, but the younger one is now rooting for Major Victory, which I guess shows that while their kneejerk reaction is to cheer for the women, once they're familiar with people (once they "know" them, if you can call it that with a TV show), things other than gender are more important.
So. This week's first test had the heroes on the street, trying to help out as best they could--buying used clothing to distribute to the homeless, shaming litterers into picking up their trash, helping folks to cross the road, etc., Stan watching and judging.
But the elimination didn't come from just this--it came after Dark Enforcer popped in to let Stan know he had interviewed the heroes' friends and family to learn their deep, dark secrets. Feedback's wife revealed that when he was at home, he was a slob. A former co-worker of Major Victory said something nonspecific about MV's career as a stripper (something Stan seems to have a problem with, for some reason, although it's something from his past). A friend of Creature told how, although Creature claims to be so environmentally oriented, in the past she once threw hotel items (ashtrays? towels? she didn't say) into a fountain. Fat Momma's mother told how Fat Momma wasn't always as accepting of her body as she is now, citing a period during which she dieted to try to lose weight. And a friend of Lemuria told how she was something of a man-trap. Here Stan called up Creature (not only had she littered, in the first test she had jaywalked, and that's against the law!); in addition, her response to what her friend had said was pretty poor (something along the lines of "that's the decision I made"), so it was no surprise when she was eliminated.
The kids were not especially bothered by the loss of Creature despite her girl-ness. I think they just never found her all that sympathetic.
The last test was an odd one. The heroes were taken to a site where convicts were doing road work, and each had to go and talk to the convicts. Each also had to perform a "secret task" during this conversation. There were four tasks, one for each hero--to hug a convict three times, to rub a convict's shoulder's three times, to brush back a convict's hair three times, and to sit on a convict's lap three times. Yeah. They broke it up so that Lemuria did the lap-sitting, Fat Momma the hair-touching, Major Victory the shoulder-rubbing, and Feedback the hugging.
Now, obviously these were not actual convicts, they were actors, and they were intentionally making things difficult. In any case, Lemuria got thrown bodily off of the woman she was trying to sit on (big surprise), Fat Momma barely managed to do the hair thing, Major Victory had to be pretty sneaky to touch anyone's shoulders, and Feedback was really the only one that was able to get the convict to agree to anything, trying to find some common ground beforehand.
Now, I actually had a problem with this last test. Although the heroes had been instructed to touch the convicts in these different ways, not only did the convicts themselves ask not to be touched during the scenarios, in several cases the guard (or person playing a guard) specified that the hero was not to touch the convict. Honestly, I half-expected Stan to fail all of them for going ahead and doing it, because they were going agaist the orders of a law enforcement officer. If Creature got into trouble for jaywalking, doing the opposite of what a police officer asks you to do should be of concern as well. You know, something like "Superheroes obey the law" or "Superheroes work with, not against, law enforcement." Obviously I misread that test.
At the end, when it was time for the elimination, Stan called up Lemuria and Major Victory--Lemuria because she had failed the test, and Major Victory because he's an ex-stripper (still haven't figured out why that's such a hot button for Stan, but whatever). Lemuria, of course, was the one to go.
I will say that these eliminations are getting almost painful to watch--each one more emotional, each eliminated member given a more intense goodbye. I think all three of the remaining contestants were teary-eyed this time (leading my dear spouse to say "They've been filming all day haven't they? They're all really tired, aren't they?").
The girls are disappointed at Lemuria's elimination--they liked her a lot, and were not bothered by the ambition she showed. They're kids, the idea of wanting to win a game is not alien to them. They're pleased that Fat Momma is still there, but the younger one is now rooting for Major Victory, which I guess shows that while their kneejerk reaction is to cheer for the women, once they're familiar with people (once they "know" them, if you can call it that with a TV show), things other than gender are more important.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Delays
I saw somewhere, probably several somewheres, that several of Marvel's Civil War books are going to be delayed.
It's not a surprise, because delays are common.
It's not a disappointment, because while I've been enjoying the book, I'm not on the edge of my seat about it.
But it's not a good thing.
[Grumpy old lady mode on]
I don't remember comic books being delayed when I was a kid. Possibly it happened and I just didn't keep track enough to know, but I'm pretty sure that, most years, when you got a monthly comic, you got twelve issues.
You know, because when you've got a job and you can't meet a deadline, the boss will find someone who can.
[Grumpy old lady mode off]
But like I said, I'm not feeling the pain on this one because I'm not all that invested in the storyline.
And I'll be even less so after it's been an extra month or so since the last time I got a glimpse of Civil War.
Remember when the new Iron Man series came out? I like Iron Man, I always tend to buy his book. First issue, the art was very cool, the story interesting, the characterization good. This one I looked forward to. This one was an edge-of-the-seat thing. I started out loving it. But the wait for those six issues! By the time the last two or three books arrived, I had lost any momentum of interest that had built with the first few issues, and while I enjoyed the book I really was no longer all that invested in the storyline. If I wasn't a regular comic buyer--if I was someone who just walks into the shop and picks up what looks interesting that week--I might have given it up.
Because while there are many good things about serialized media--they maintain your interest (good for the reader), they keep you coming back to see what happens next (good for the publisher)--there's a limit to how long a person is going to wait. There will be a point where you just lose interest.
To some extent this has to do with expectations.
You'll wait years for the next part of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings because you know that's how long a movie will take.
You'll wait for the next part of a sci-fi novel trilogy for the same reason.
A comic book? Unless the book is established at the start as other than monthly (bi-monthly, quarterly?), you'll wait a month for your next fix, maybe two, maybe three if the book is exceptional. (Most books are not exceptional. Civil War, while thus far enjoyable, is not exceptional.) After that, you've moved on--the intensity of your interest in that particular book/character/storyline has faded. You eventually stop looking eagerly on the shelves for that particular book, and perhaps you stop looking at all.
Kid-oriented books in particular need to be on time. We get our comics online, and there has been an issue of Scooby Doo in every single box. The other books they like? Well, Young Avengers has been late a few times, but that's not really a kid book. So far all of the kid-specific books we've ordered have been reasonably timely. Whether this is because they're quicker to put together or because the companies in fact recognize that they need to hold on to kids' attention or they'll lose it, I don't know.
What they don't seem to recognize is that adult readers aren't necessarily going to be any more patient.
It's not a surprise, because delays are common.
It's not a disappointment, because while I've been enjoying the book, I'm not on the edge of my seat about it.
But it's not a good thing.
[Grumpy old lady mode on]
I don't remember comic books being delayed when I was a kid. Possibly it happened and I just didn't keep track enough to know, but I'm pretty sure that, most years, when you got a monthly comic, you got twelve issues.
You know, because when you've got a job and you can't meet a deadline, the boss will find someone who can.
[Grumpy old lady mode off]
But like I said, I'm not feeling the pain on this one because I'm not all that invested in the storyline.
And I'll be even less so after it's been an extra month or so since the last time I got a glimpse of Civil War.
Remember when the new Iron Man series came out? I like Iron Man, I always tend to buy his book. First issue, the art was very cool, the story interesting, the characterization good. This one I looked forward to. This one was an edge-of-the-seat thing. I started out loving it. But the wait for those six issues! By the time the last two or three books arrived, I had lost any momentum of interest that had built with the first few issues, and while I enjoyed the book I really was no longer all that invested in the storyline. If I wasn't a regular comic buyer--if I was someone who just walks into the shop and picks up what looks interesting that week--I might have given it up.
Because while there are many good things about serialized media--they maintain your interest (good for the reader), they keep you coming back to see what happens next (good for the publisher)--there's a limit to how long a person is going to wait. There will be a point where you just lose interest.
To some extent this has to do with expectations.
You'll wait years for the next part of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings because you know that's how long a movie will take.
You'll wait for the next part of a sci-fi novel trilogy for the same reason.
A comic book? Unless the book is established at the start as other than monthly (bi-monthly, quarterly?), you'll wait a month for your next fix, maybe two, maybe three if the book is exceptional. (Most books are not exceptional. Civil War, while thus far enjoyable, is not exceptional.) After that, you've moved on--the intensity of your interest in that particular book/character/storyline has faded. You eventually stop looking eagerly on the shelves for that particular book, and perhaps you stop looking at all.
Kid-oriented books in particular need to be on time. We get our comics online, and there has been an issue of Scooby Doo in every single box. The other books they like? Well, Young Avengers has been late a few times, but that's not really a kid book. So far all of the kid-specific books we've ordered have been reasonably timely. Whether this is because they're quicker to put together or because the companies in fact recognize that they need to hold on to kids' attention or they'll lose it, I don't know.
What they don't seem to recognize is that adult readers aren't necessarily going to be any more patient.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Who Wants to Be a Superhero, Week 3 [Spoilers]
Particularly brief because we saw this last week, and so much has been forgotten...
The first test this week was another one where the real test was hidden; in the stated quest, the heroes were sent to a local restaurant to choose a meal (Stan's claim being that what they chose would be revealing). In fact there was a hidden camera in the restaurant, which recorded the waitress or waiter's efforts to get each hero to reveal his or her secret identity, and the hero's response. Some were more vulnerable to the flirting than others, and only two of the heroes held out, while the rest told.
Stan (who is no longer, apparently, calling up three to choose from at each deletion) eliminated Monkey Woman, who not only volunteered the information without being asked (making it clear that this was primarily a role to her), she talked with the waiter about what she was doing on the show, and when he asked she gave him several websites he could use if he wanted to get into acting. So not only did she give the real name, not only did she give it without being asked, but she in Stan's opinion was on the show not to be a hero but to (gasp!) advance her career! (Yeah, yeah, I know.) Stan was also irked because although she was an actress, she had put "real estate agent" or some such on her application form. (I'm guessing there are plenty of realtors/actors in southern California.} The fact that she was also the one who most readily stepped out of "hero persona" during this test did not help her case.
The second test was the one they advertised in last week's promos--having to walk across a narrow beam from rooftop to rooftop across an alley in order to rescue a damsel in distress. Unsurprisingly the actual test did not involve endangering the contestants, the real beam was about four inches off the ground, the heroes being blindfolded so that they would not be aware of it. All the heroes completed this one, so no elimination was made based on this. (My guess is that they all assumed that some safety measures were in play--a net, a cushion--so were not in fear for their lives, although of course they didn't want to fall.)
The second elimination came after still another test, wherein Stan asked each hero to say which of the heroes they thought should be eliminated next. (Thus throwing in some extra drama and divisiveness.) First up was the quick-thinking Creature, who quickly voted that she, herself, should be eliminated. Most of the other heroes followed suit, which was not surprising. The ones who did not were Tyveculous (who voted against Lemuria, feeling that she was not as heroic as she could be)--not a big surprise since he was already burned once by telling Stan what he thought he wanted to hear (the costume thing) and I'm guessing he intended to be honest throughout the rest of the competition, no matter what--and Fat Momma, who voted against Feedback for the reason that he seemed somewhat high-strung and she was worried that he might eventually snap.
I really wasn't sure what would happen with this one--I thought there was a fair chance that it would be another honesty test (undoubtedly what Tyveculous--and probably Fat Momma--were thinking). However, it was instead a test of "self-sacrifice" so it was down to the two of them. According to Stan, Fat Momma made the wrong decision but her reasons were based on kindness, so she stayed and Tyveculous was eliminated.
The kids were a little disappointed in this one. Remember, they (especially the younger one) base their opinion to a great extent on perceived niceness,and two of their favorites no longer seem to be as nice as they first did. Lemuria to some extent, but especially Fat Momma, who at the end of the show was so upset about Tyveculous' leaving that she blamed the other heroes (the ones who guessed right about the basis of the test), claiming that their self-sacrifice was insincere (which according to Stan was beside the point--the important thing was to do what's right--which is a little inconsistent with at least one of his other decisions, but all right...) and she's making it her mission to outlast them all. This was not enough to oust either heroine from their favored status (seven-year-old: "I at least want a girl to win", so yes, that's how she chooses her favorites) but it was enough to bring down their "nice" rating.
The first test this week was another one where the real test was hidden; in the stated quest, the heroes were sent to a local restaurant to choose a meal (Stan's claim being that what they chose would be revealing). In fact there was a hidden camera in the restaurant, which recorded the waitress or waiter's efforts to get each hero to reveal his or her secret identity, and the hero's response. Some were more vulnerable to the flirting than others, and only two of the heroes held out, while the rest told.
Stan (who is no longer, apparently, calling up three to choose from at each deletion) eliminated Monkey Woman, who not only volunteered the information without being asked (making it clear that this was primarily a role to her), she talked with the waiter about what she was doing on the show, and when he asked she gave him several websites he could use if he wanted to get into acting. So not only did she give the real name, not only did she give it without being asked, but she in Stan's opinion was on the show not to be a hero but to (gasp!) advance her career! (Yeah, yeah, I know.) Stan was also irked because although she was an actress, she had put "real estate agent" or some such on her application form. (I'm guessing there are plenty of realtors/actors in southern California.} The fact that she was also the one who most readily stepped out of "hero persona" during this test did not help her case.
The second test was the one they advertised in last week's promos--having to walk across a narrow beam from rooftop to rooftop across an alley in order to rescue a damsel in distress. Unsurprisingly the actual test did not involve endangering the contestants, the real beam was about four inches off the ground, the heroes being blindfolded so that they would not be aware of it. All the heroes completed this one, so no elimination was made based on this. (My guess is that they all assumed that some safety measures were in play--a net, a cushion--so were not in fear for their lives, although of course they didn't want to fall.)
The second elimination came after still another test, wherein Stan asked each hero to say which of the heroes they thought should be eliminated next. (Thus throwing in some extra drama and divisiveness.) First up was the quick-thinking Creature, who quickly voted that she, herself, should be eliminated. Most of the other heroes followed suit, which was not surprising. The ones who did not were Tyveculous (who voted against Lemuria, feeling that she was not as heroic as she could be)--not a big surprise since he was already burned once by telling Stan what he thought he wanted to hear (the costume thing) and I'm guessing he intended to be honest throughout the rest of the competition, no matter what--and Fat Momma, who voted against Feedback for the reason that he seemed somewhat high-strung and she was worried that he might eventually snap.
I really wasn't sure what would happen with this one--I thought there was a fair chance that it would be another honesty test (undoubtedly what Tyveculous--and probably Fat Momma--were thinking). However, it was instead a test of "self-sacrifice" so it was down to the two of them. According to Stan, Fat Momma made the wrong decision but her reasons were based on kindness, so she stayed and Tyveculous was eliminated.
The kids were a little disappointed in this one. Remember, they (especially the younger one) base their opinion to a great extent on perceived niceness,and two of their favorites no longer seem to be as nice as they first did. Lemuria to some extent, but especially Fat Momma, who at the end of the show was so upset about Tyveculous' leaving that she blamed the other heroes (the ones who guessed right about the basis of the test), claiming that their self-sacrifice was insincere (which according to Stan was beside the point--the important thing was to do what's right--which is a little inconsistent with at least one of his other decisions, but all right...) and she's making it her mission to outlast them all. This was not enough to oust either heroine from their favored status (seven-year-old: "I at least want a girl to win", so yes, that's how she chooses her favorites) but it was enough to bring down their "nice" rating.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Marvel Legends Action Figures, Again
These are all Giant-Man Series figures--we got them all this time, including one of the variants so that we could put together the large Giant-Man figure. There's a problem with pre-ordering, by the way, when you have kids--if the expected ship date is July, they're expecting it on July 1st, and they ask about it every single day until they finally arrive. (The Young Avengers set was also a July ship, but no sign of that yet.)
Ant-Man
I assume that this is the Scott Lang Ant-Man. Nice figure apart from the slight hunch the muscles give him (they also give him that unattractive neck-slope thing). Good arm movement. Hip joints are a bit stiff and not as flexible as some others, and the legs won't quite go together (not as bad as with the Human Torch figure, but still annoying) and he can't really sit down. The Ant-Man helmet looks good but is a little difficult to position correctly.
So there are a few issues with his playablity, but he's sturdy and will probably get a fair amount of play (if only because he goes so well with the little Ant-Man that came with Goliath, not to mention the Giant-Man we put together)/
Captain Britain
This figure uses that muscle-bound, thick-necked torso sculpt that gives the character a permanent forward hunch and limits what you can do with him with the arms up. The head has limited movement, and--as is often the case--the rear end gets in the way of kicking the legs out backward, which means that some lunging movements are impossible. Otherwise good mobility, and the joints are neither stiff nor loose.
Captain Britain has one of those complicated costume designs where the pattern moves unless he's standing in a very specific position. It isn't a big problem but it is noticeable, particularly on him. The painted design is good apart from the large white areas which have a blue cast to them. On the whole a nice figure.
Havok
A good figure, only moderately muscular--meaning a good range of arm motion--although he is a bit hunched over. He's flexible and posable. His paint is well done, although of course it's not a particularly busy costume design. Even his silly headgear looks good.
He's got a nasty expression on his face, though, eyes wild and teeth bared; a number of the other figures have this. You'd expect it more on the villains, but often the heroes have it as well. This limits their playability somewhat, because while you can pretend that a moderately serious expression denotes a wide range of emotion, you can't pretend that a look of insane rage denotes anything else.
Kitty Pryde
Kitty is slender and petite, which I think is accurate (although I'm not sure how old she is supposed to be these days). Great face, good hair, costume seems all right although it's hard to tell because the torso joints--and an odd plastic "breastplate" where there's an actual gap under the breast area--chop it up so much. The belt is added on and will likely come off at some point.
She's reasonably movable. The hair severely limits her head movement, but she has good arm and leg movement and the torso is quite flexible.
The cool thing about Kitty, though, as far as the girls are concerned, is that she comes with a little Lockheed dragon, which can sit on her arm. Thus, she is probably the favorite among the kids.
The Sentry
The Sentry uses much of the same body scupt as Captain Britain; since both characters are "strong guys" it looks about right. Because of this he shares some of the same mobility issues, although the head is much better, and the hands are different, smaller and not permanently curved.
The costume design, as one might expect, is very Silver-Age. The belt and cape are attached, and I think it's possible that either might come off with rough play. He looks good, although if I hadn't gotten the set of nine I'd have gone with the variant.
Thor
An excellent figure apart from a certain looseness in the waist. I'm not enough of a Thor fan to know whether this is the original version (I seem to recall his tunic as blue rather than black so this may be a different version) but he looks good. The bulky attached cape limits arm motion, and the long hair limits head movement (not uncommon in many of the female figures as well). On the whole, though, a great figure--even Thor's funky leg-wrapped boots look good!
Warbird
They call her Warbird, but she's wearing Ms. Marvel's costume. Now, she looks good. The hair, the face, the costume (and the costume actually covers her butt, unlike the current version where the legs are cut so high that the sash hangs below them, I'm not sure why they don't just turn it into a thong and be done with it! :P) The sash is nicely done as well. She's fairly tall, about the same height as Ant-Man (though not as tall as Sentry or, of course, Thor), which is accurate for the character. She's probably my favorite of this bunch.
And she's very playable. Good head movement despite the long hair. The leg mobility could be improved, as she can't kick backward, but she has good side movement and can do excellent flying kicks. The arms worry me a bit, they're so jointed and so thin that I'm concerned that they may break more easily than they ought to.
Wolverine, Age of Apocalypse
I'm not an X-Men reader this time around, and definitely never read this specific storyline, so I can't speak to the figure's accuracy. He differs from classic Wolverine not only in costume, but seems to have tattoos on his forehead and has a metal stump in place of his missing left hand (neither of which should be possible given his healing factor, but as I said I haven't read the story). It's flexible and playable, the joints are good althought the waist is just a bit loose, and the paint job is decent. That said, since we already have two Wolverine figures, I don't see this one getting much play.
I will say that Wolverine's claws seem to be one of the more difficult things to create--they're generally quite flexible, which is good in terms of not poking one's eye out with them, but not so good in that they tend to curve and change position.
Wolverine, Age of Apocalypse, Variant
Most of this figure is the same as the non-variant figure, so I won't comment more on that other than to say that it's quite playable. The changes are a different head and a different arm stump (this one has claws attached). The head is scarred, which I gather is accurate for the storyline; I suppose I could research the point, but I'm just not that interested. :)
Ant-Man
I assume that this is the Scott Lang Ant-Man. Nice figure apart from the slight hunch the muscles give him (they also give him that unattractive neck-slope thing). Good arm movement. Hip joints are a bit stiff and not as flexible as some others, and the legs won't quite go together (not as bad as with the Human Torch figure, but still annoying) and he can't really sit down. The Ant-Man helmet looks good but is a little difficult to position correctly.
So there are a few issues with his playablity, but he's sturdy and will probably get a fair amount of play (if only because he goes so well with the little Ant-Man that came with Goliath, not to mention the Giant-Man we put together)/
Captain Britain
This figure uses that muscle-bound, thick-necked torso sculpt that gives the character a permanent forward hunch and limits what you can do with him with the arms up. The head has limited movement, and--as is often the case--the rear end gets in the way of kicking the legs out backward, which means that some lunging movements are impossible. Otherwise good mobility, and the joints are neither stiff nor loose.
Captain Britain has one of those complicated costume designs where the pattern moves unless he's standing in a very specific position. It isn't a big problem but it is noticeable, particularly on him. The painted design is good apart from the large white areas which have a blue cast to them. On the whole a nice figure.
Havok
A good figure, only moderately muscular--meaning a good range of arm motion--although he is a bit hunched over. He's flexible and posable. His paint is well done, although of course it's not a particularly busy costume design. Even his silly headgear looks good.
He's got a nasty expression on his face, though, eyes wild and teeth bared; a number of the other figures have this. You'd expect it more on the villains, but often the heroes have it as well. This limits their playability somewhat, because while you can pretend that a moderately serious expression denotes a wide range of emotion, you can't pretend that a look of insane rage denotes anything else.
Kitty Pryde
Kitty is slender and petite, which I think is accurate (although I'm not sure how old she is supposed to be these days). Great face, good hair, costume seems all right although it's hard to tell because the torso joints--and an odd plastic "breastplate" where there's an actual gap under the breast area--chop it up so much. The belt is added on and will likely come off at some point.
She's reasonably movable. The hair severely limits her head movement, but she has good arm and leg movement and the torso is quite flexible.
The cool thing about Kitty, though, as far as the girls are concerned, is that she comes with a little Lockheed dragon, which can sit on her arm. Thus, she is probably the favorite among the kids.
The Sentry
The Sentry uses much of the same body scupt as Captain Britain; since both characters are "strong guys" it looks about right. Because of this he shares some of the same mobility issues, although the head is much better, and the hands are different, smaller and not permanently curved.
The costume design, as one might expect, is very Silver-Age. The belt and cape are attached, and I think it's possible that either might come off with rough play. He looks good, although if I hadn't gotten the set of nine I'd have gone with the variant.
Thor
An excellent figure apart from a certain looseness in the waist. I'm not enough of a Thor fan to know whether this is the original version (I seem to recall his tunic as blue rather than black so this may be a different version) but he looks good. The bulky attached cape limits arm motion, and the long hair limits head movement (not uncommon in many of the female figures as well). On the whole, though, a great figure--even Thor's funky leg-wrapped boots look good!
Warbird
They call her Warbird, but she's wearing Ms. Marvel's costume. Now, she looks good. The hair, the face, the costume (and the costume actually covers her butt, unlike the current version where the legs are cut so high that the sash hangs below them, I'm not sure why they don't just turn it into a thong and be done with it! :P) The sash is nicely done as well. She's fairly tall, about the same height as Ant-Man (though not as tall as Sentry or, of course, Thor), which is accurate for the character. She's probably my favorite of this bunch.
And she's very playable. Good head movement despite the long hair. The leg mobility could be improved, as she can't kick backward, but she has good side movement and can do excellent flying kicks. The arms worry me a bit, they're so jointed and so thin that I'm concerned that they may break more easily than they ought to.
Wolverine, Age of Apocalypse
I'm not an X-Men reader this time around, and definitely never read this specific storyline, so I can't speak to the figure's accuracy. He differs from classic Wolverine not only in costume, but seems to have tattoos on his forehead and has a metal stump in place of his missing left hand (neither of which should be possible given his healing factor, but as I said I haven't read the story). It's flexible and playable, the joints are good althought the waist is just a bit loose, and the paint job is decent. That said, since we already have two Wolverine figures, I don't see this one getting much play.
I will say that Wolverine's claws seem to be one of the more difficult things to create--they're generally quite flexible, which is good in terms of not poking one's eye out with them, but not so good in that they tend to curve and change position.
Wolverine, Age of Apocalypse, Variant
Most of this figure is the same as the non-variant figure, so I won't comment more on that other than to say that it's quite playable. The changes are a different head and a different arm stump (this one has claws attached). The head is scarred, which I gather is accurate for the storyline; I suppose I could research the point, but I'm just not that interested. :)
Saturday, August 05, 2006
The July Comics, Part 3 [Spoilers]
Ms. Marvel #5
Enjoyed: Carol's dream sequence, wherein she is invaded in the tub by the media (is she, perhaps, having second thoughts on having an active PR person?). The rest of the story was all right, including a guest appearance of Dr. Strange (who I don't follow).
Less enjoyable: Knowing that next issue is a Civil War tie-in. :P Carol states here that she, personally, plans to register. That's not all that surprising. What is a bit surprising is that I'd have expected her to be closer to the mid-range on this issue. Then again, she's been portrayed in the past as someone who likes things definite--her preference is not necessarily for the grey areas--so I don't know. I've really liked her character ever since I was a kid, so I hope she comes out of this all right.
New Avengers #21-22
Both of the issues I got this month were Civil War tie-ins. The art in #21, by Howard Chaykin, an interesting change and not as retro as expected. Idle thoughts: Henry Pym on the side of registration, not a big surprise--Cap hitting the giant Pym on the nose with his shield was a nice visual. Jessica leaving for Toronto with the baby, Luke staying in his neighborhood (and eventually defended by his neighbors, who surely know who he is). Didn't wholly suck, will be glad when it's over.
I don't seem to mind the actual Civil War books, but the crossovers with books I already get really annoy me.
She-Hulk #8
What I liked: Jen has decided, now that she has control over her powers, that she's going to stay She-Hulk all the time. New hubby is not thrilled. Deal with it. (Not a fan of John Jameson after watching Jen make a point of returning to her original form when he arrived because "he prefers me that way." Gah!) Actually I am hoping for an anullment, which could be in the works if Pug is right about Starfox's role in Jen and John's romance.
Supergirl # 8
I'm not sure how we got this one, presumably I checked the wrong box when I was ordering. We won't be getting any more. The eleven-year-old doesn't like it at all. She does like Supergirl in the Legion of Superheroes, though. So, off the list. Glad to see that Kandor is still around in some form, however.
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #20
Brainiac 5's plan to revive Dream Girl is still one of the creepiest things going in comics. He was always one of my favorite Legionnaires, but I haven't enjoyed this latest incarnation as much--I don't think it's an age thing, either. Speaking of the age thing, I'll sure be glad when they stop making that such a big part of this book.
The Thing #8
The last of the series, and it's a real shame--I have enjoyed every issue of this one. The kids have liked it as well. This one was a lot of fun, featuring a poker party at Ben Grimm's place. The running joke with the Great Lakes Avengers/X-Men/?. And Ben is back with Alicia without villifying her ex! So very cool. I will miss this book.
Wonder Woman #1
Honestly? Personally, meh. The eleven-year-old quite liked it, though. We'll keep getting it. I'm hoping that Donna's run as Wonder Woman is temporary. (In fact I'm assuming it will be, after reading Justice Leage #0.) The kid, of course, has read about Donna in old Teen Titans books she borrowed from her uncle, so she is fine with Donna as WW.
Enjoyed: Carol's dream sequence, wherein she is invaded in the tub by the media (is she, perhaps, having second thoughts on having an active PR person?). The rest of the story was all right, including a guest appearance of Dr. Strange (who I don't follow).
Less enjoyable: Knowing that next issue is a Civil War tie-in. :P Carol states here that she, personally, plans to register. That's not all that surprising. What is a bit surprising is that I'd have expected her to be closer to the mid-range on this issue. Then again, she's been portrayed in the past as someone who likes things definite--her preference is not necessarily for the grey areas--so I don't know. I've really liked her character ever since I was a kid, so I hope she comes out of this all right.
New Avengers #21-22
Both of the issues I got this month were Civil War tie-ins. The art in #21, by Howard Chaykin, an interesting change and not as retro as expected. Idle thoughts: Henry Pym on the side of registration, not a big surprise--Cap hitting the giant Pym on the nose with his shield was a nice visual. Jessica leaving for Toronto with the baby, Luke staying in his neighborhood (and eventually defended by his neighbors, who surely know who he is). Didn't wholly suck, will be glad when it's over.
I don't seem to mind the actual Civil War books, but the crossovers with books I already get really annoy me.
She-Hulk #8
What I liked: Jen has decided, now that she has control over her powers, that she's going to stay She-Hulk all the time. New hubby is not thrilled. Deal with it. (Not a fan of John Jameson after watching Jen make a point of returning to her original form when he arrived because "he prefers me that way." Gah!) Actually I am hoping for an anullment, which could be in the works if Pug is right about Starfox's role in Jen and John's romance.
Supergirl # 8
I'm not sure how we got this one, presumably I checked the wrong box when I was ordering. We won't be getting any more. The eleven-year-old doesn't like it at all. She does like Supergirl in the Legion of Superheroes, though. So, off the list. Glad to see that Kandor is still around in some form, however.
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #20
Brainiac 5's plan to revive Dream Girl is still one of the creepiest things going in comics. He was always one of my favorite Legionnaires, but I haven't enjoyed this latest incarnation as much--I don't think it's an age thing, either. Speaking of the age thing, I'll sure be glad when they stop making that such a big part of this book.
The Thing #8
The last of the series, and it's a real shame--I have enjoyed every issue of this one. The kids have liked it as well. This one was a lot of fun, featuring a poker party at Ben Grimm's place. The running joke with the Great Lakes Avengers/X-Men/?. And Ben is back with Alicia without villifying her ex! So very cool. I will miss this book.
Wonder Woman #1
Honestly? Personally, meh. The eleven-year-old quite liked it, though. We'll keep getting it. I'm hoping that Donna's run as Wonder Woman is temporary. (In fact I'm assuming it will be, after reading Justice Leage #0.) The kid, of course, has read about Donna in old Teen Titans books she borrowed from her uncle, so she is fine with Donna as WW.
The July Comics, Part 2 [Spoilers]
The Flash #2
On the plus side, an excellent recap of Bart's origin for those of us who don't really know who he is. His relationships with the other characters are well-defined and, likewise, well-explained. On the not-so-plus side, though, I'm just not really enjoying this book. To contrast it with the new Atom book, which I've quite liked so far and which stands on its own, this one just makes me think of how much I prefer Wally. I'll give it another issue or three, because it's not fair for me to judge it on an issue where so much of the text is expository, but I'm not hopeful.
Green Lantern Corps #1-2
Considering my usual lack of fondness for space opera, I'm a little surprised to find myself liking this book so much. All (well, mostly) because of Soranik Natu. Please don't kill her. And although I don't have a history of reading Green Lantern, I suspect that having them partnered up is more interesting than when they flew solo. This one stays on the get list.
Hawkgirl #54
I added this one when I learned that it existed--since the eleven-year-old is a Hawkgirl fan. She does not like this book., says it's hard to follow, and I can't tell whether this has to do with coming into the story in the middle or not. Unless this issue is very atypical, I don't think we'll be getting this one for much longer.
Ion #4/12
This one is on the list because I've enjoyed so much of what I've seen of the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern. I do anticipate getting the whole 12 issues of this one. That said, I am a little concerned about the whole "becoming something greater" thing. From what I've seen, when a comic book character gets not only a significant power boost but a Major Cosmic Change in who s/he is, it's not a good thing. Too often, whatever was most cool about the original character is lost. So far they do seem to be holding on to his human side (the scenes at the artists' retreat in earlier issues) so I'm not ready to assume the worst.
On the other hand, the new abilities will certainly steepen the learning curve, and this character does really well (in terms of being interesting) when he's learning new things (as opposed to being established and highly skilled), so we'll see.
Iron Man #10
Iron Man has always been a favorite character of mine, I'm not sure why--the contrast between his level of power and his human failings, I suppose. I still don't like the Extremis version, and I still think it's likely to be a temporary thing. In this issue: the return of Maya Hanson! Tony looks like hell as a clean-shaven blonde! And The Sentry? doing something? Big fights, superhero angst, women in prison (sigh). Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next issue.
Justice League of America #0
Interesting stuff; since I don't buy Superman or Batman comics at this time, and since I've only seen the one Wonder Woman (see next entry) I don't really know what's going on there, although the internet tells me that they've all three been missing for a year. I did enjoy the "yesterday" scenes, not so much the "tomorrow" ones (presumably these are not definite futures). And after reading this, I guess I can discard all the how-the-JLA-was-built stuff I just learned from reading Year One? (Gah. Honestly I think that Year One makes more sense.)
Moon Knight #3
Much of Moon Knight is darkness, violence and gore. In this issue, there's a bit more--the scene where Marc meets with his old associate Frenchie, who outs himself as gay to Marc. I think the intention is that Marc's subsequent anger is because Frenchie didn't tell him (implicitly, didn't trust him enough to tell him), but it's fuzzy. Frenchie, on the other hand, seems to think he shouldn't have had to tell him in so many words--that if Marc had been more astute he'd have picked up on it. I do still plan to keep getting this one, but really, something else interesting needs to happen soon.
On the plus side, an excellent recap of Bart's origin for those of us who don't really know who he is. His relationships with the other characters are well-defined and, likewise, well-explained. On the not-so-plus side, though, I'm just not really enjoying this book. To contrast it with the new Atom book, which I've quite liked so far and which stands on its own, this one just makes me think of how much I prefer Wally. I'll give it another issue or three, because it's not fair for me to judge it on an issue where so much of the text is expository, but I'm not hopeful.
Green Lantern Corps #1-2
Considering my usual lack of fondness for space opera, I'm a little surprised to find myself liking this book so much. All (well, mostly) because of Soranik Natu. Please don't kill her. And although I don't have a history of reading Green Lantern, I suspect that having them partnered up is more interesting than when they flew solo. This one stays on the get list.
Hawkgirl #54
I added this one when I learned that it existed--since the eleven-year-old is a Hawkgirl fan. She does not like this book., says it's hard to follow, and I can't tell whether this has to do with coming into the story in the middle or not. Unless this issue is very atypical, I don't think we'll be getting this one for much longer.
Ion #4/12
This one is on the list because I've enjoyed so much of what I've seen of the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern. I do anticipate getting the whole 12 issues of this one. That said, I am a little concerned about the whole "becoming something greater" thing. From what I've seen, when a comic book character gets not only a significant power boost but a Major Cosmic Change in who s/he is, it's not a good thing. Too often, whatever was most cool about the original character is lost. So far they do seem to be holding on to his human side (the scenes at the artists' retreat in earlier issues) so I'm not ready to assume the worst.
On the other hand, the new abilities will certainly steepen the learning curve, and this character does really well (in terms of being interesting) when he's learning new things (as opposed to being established and highly skilled), so we'll see.
Iron Man #10
Iron Man has always been a favorite character of mine, I'm not sure why--the contrast between his level of power and his human failings, I suppose. I still don't like the Extremis version, and I still think it's likely to be a temporary thing. In this issue: the return of Maya Hanson! Tony looks like hell as a clean-shaven blonde! And The Sentry? doing something? Big fights, superhero angst, women in prison (sigh). Yeah, I'm looking forward to the next issue.
Justice League of America #0
Interesting stuff; since I don't buy Superman or Batman comics at this time, and since I've only seen the one Wonder Woman (see next entry) I don't really know what's going on there, although the internet tells me that they've all three been missing for a year. I did enjoy the "yesterday" scenes, not so much the "tomorrow" ones (presumably these are not definite futures). And after reading this, I guess I can discard all the how-the-JLA-was-built stuff I just learned from reading Year One? (Gah. Honestly I think that Year One makes more sense.)
Moon Knight #3
Much of Moon Knight is darkness, violence and gore. In this issue, there's a bit more--the scene where Marc meets with his old associate Frenchie, who outs himself as gay to Marc. I think the intention is that Marc's subsequent anger is because Frenchie didn't tell him (implicitly, didn't trust him enough to tell him), but it's fuzzy. Frenchie, on the other hand, seems to think he shouldn't have had to tell him in so many words--that if Marc had been more astute he'd have picked up on it. I do still plan to keep getting this one, but really, something else interesting needs to happen soon.
The July Comics, Part 1 [Spoilers, seriously]
I'm breaking this up into a few parts because I have way too many overlong posts. (Also good news: the novelty of the scanner is starting to wear off! :))
The Atom #1
I'm trying out a few of the new DC titles this month, and this one, I think, will be a keeper. In general I find myself more interested in the older versions of these heroes (particularly after reading Identity Crisis, which highlighted several of them) but the new Atom has a lot of potential. The whole "messages from Ray on needles in the carpet" thing requites a considerable suspension of disbelief (although somehow the talking dog doesn't) but apart from that, definitely a story that brings you back, and a good introduction to a new character.
Although I don't seem to enjoy Byrne's artwork as much as I did 20+ years ago, but that could well be because I now associate him with his writing as well, which I'm not as fond of. There's certainly nothing wrong with the art, it just doesn't seem as exceptional as it once did. Perhaps it just isn't--I think that comic art on the average has improved quite a bit since I was a kid.
Captain America #20
You know, this book has been so good for so long that I've started to wonder when the quality is going to drop, as if it's inevitable--I suppose that's an expectation I've gained over all my years of reading comics. But so far, so good. Particularly nice in this issue: Cap and Spitfire talking about his relationship with Sharon; Lukin's continuing struggles with the Red Skull (Lukin may be strong-willed and evil, but the Skull is the Skull...); and the Winter Soldier's appearances becoming more and more frequent, leading up (one hopes) to a reunion of some sort between he and Cap. Now, what happens after that will be the test of Brubaker's talent. The art, as always, wonderful; if you like realistic--as I do--I've rarely seen better.
Civil War #3
I wasn't planning to discuss the Civil War books, but since I'm getting them (hey, they're better than House of M was!), why not throw a few words that way?
So...WTF is up with Reed Richards here? He was always a bit of an ivory-tower type, but I've never seen him so oblivious to human nature, so entirely lacking in social skills before.
Got a giggle out of the scene between Tony Stark and Emma Frost. Tony: "Tell me, does Cyclops know about that little arrangement we used to have when neither of us were dating?"
And the return of Thor! I'll admit that I was never the biggest fan of Thor--always preferred the more down-to-earth heroes to the godlike and/or cosmic ones most of the time--but he did add something to the Marvel hero mix that has been missing over the last few years, so I was happy to see him.
Civil War: Front Line #4
Although this book is holding my interest (shifting perspectives and so forth) I don't seem to have a lot to say about it. Each one so far has ended with a commentary based on something from literature or history or--this time--popular music, specifically Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon." I haven't cared for any of them so far, and I'm not sure whether it's because I find it over-the top or because I find the comparisons disrespectful of reality somehow. It may be obvious that the Civil War storyline is intended as a reflection of what goes on in the real world, but pointing these things out specifically really seems to weaken the effect, takes you out of the story they're telling.
Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways #1
I like Young Avengers, I think it's one of the most reliably good books Marvel is putting out these days. I've never read Runaways. Therefore there were large chunks of this book that I probably didn't "get." Maybe next issue. In the mean time, the Young Avengers seem fairly right on, and seeing Cap in Grumpy Old Man mode is kind of fun.
Fantastic Four #538
You know, I was so happy when FF resumed their original numbering. Wonder if they'll do that with the Avengers when New Avengers runs out of steam...
In any case, this is a Civil War tie-in, so of course Reed is being a dick. Marvel's disingenous claims of "there's no right or wrong side" aside, it's pretty clear that at this point the pro-registration folks are portrayed as, at best, well-meaning but misinformed. They are, overwhelmingly, the more intellectual, head-focused types (and their associates), while the heart-focused ones tend to be anti-registration. (Generalizing here, obviously.) Which implies that decisions made rationally are less likely to be right than those made emotionally. (Which is why the folks who are actually giving this some thought are so much more interesting.)
The highlight, for me, was Ben's own struggle with where he stands on the registration issue. If it weren't for his friendship with Reed, Ben would seem likely to be firmly on the anti-registration side (although he is a complex kind of guy), and watching him work his way through this--well, it's the first sign I've seen in this whole Civil War thing of the complexities behind the issue.
4: First Family #5/6
Still not as good as the Avengers origin mini-series. It's all right, but if it was an ongoing, it'd be gone. I think the difference (between it and the Avengers series) is that the changes here seem more like additions than expansions, and it just doesn't seem to work as well. It's not really the book I had hoped for when I started getting it. But they've got one more issue to pull it off, here's hoping!
The Atom #1
I'm trying out a few of the new DC titles this month, and this one, I think, will be a keeper. In general I find myself more interested in the older versions of these heroes (particularly after reading Identity Crisis, which highlighted several of them) but the new Atom has a lot of potential. The whole "messages from Ray on needles in the carpet" thing requites a considerable suspension of disbelief (although somehow the talking dog doesn't) but apart from that, definitely a story that brings you back, and a good introduction to a new character.
Although I don't seem to enjoy Byrne's artwork as much as I did 20+ years ago, but that could well be because I now associate him with his writing as well, which I'm not as fond of. There's certainly nothing wrong with the art, it just doesn't seem as exceptional as it once did. Perhaps it just isn't--I think that comic art on the average has improved quite a bit since I was a kid.
Captain America #20
You know, this book has been so good for so long that I've started to wonder when the quality is going to drop, as if it's inevitable--I suppose that's an expectation I've gained over all my years of reading comics. But so far, so good. Particularly nice in this issue: Cap and Spitfire talking about his relationship with Sharon; Lukin's continuing struggles with the Red Skull (Lukin may be strong-willed and evil, but the Skull is the Skull...); and the Winter Soldier's appearances becoming more and more frequent, leading up (one hopes) to a reunion of some sort between he and Cap. Now, what happens after that will be the test of Brubaker's talent. The art, as always, wonderful; if you like realistic--as I do--I've rarely seen better.
Civil War #3
I wasn't planning to discuss the Civil War books, but since I'm getting them (hey, they're better than House of M was!), why not throw a few words that way?
So...WTF is up with Reed Richards here? He was always a bit of an ivory-tower type, but I've never seen him so oblivious to human nature, so entirely lacking in social skills before.
Got a giggle out of the scene between Tony Stark and Emma Frost. Tony: "Tell me, does Cyclops know about that little arrangement we used to have when neither of us were dating?"
And the return of Thor! I'll admit that I was never the biggest fan of Thor--always preferred the more down-to-earth heroes to the godlike and/or cosmic ones most of the time--but he did add something to the Marvel hero mix that has been missing over the last few years, so I was happy to see him.
Civil War: Front Line #4
Although this book is holding my interest (shifting perspectives and so forth) I don't seem to have a lot to say about it. Each one so far has ended with a commentary based on something from literature or history or--this time--popular music, specifically Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon." I haven't cared for any of them so far, and I'm not sure whether it's because I find it over-the top or because I find the comparisons disrespectful of reality somehow. It may be obvious that the Civil War storyline is intended as a reflection of what goes on in the real world, but pointing these things out specifically really seems to weaken the effect, takes you out of the story they're telling.
Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways #1
I like Young Avengers, I think it's one of the most reliably good books Marvel is putting out these days. I've never read Runaways. Therefore there were large chunks of this book that I probably didn't "get." Maybe next issue. In the mean time, the Young Avengers seem fairly right on, and seeing Cap in Grumpy Old Man mode is kind of fun.
Fantastic Four #538
You know, I was so happy when FF resumed their original numbering. Wonder if they'll do that with the Avengers when New Avengers runs out of steam...
In any case, this is a Civil War tie-in, so of course Reed is being a dick. Marvel's disingenous claims of "there's no right or wrong side" aside, it's pretty clear that at this point the pro-registration folks are portrayed as, at best, well-meaning but misinformed. They are, overwhelmingly, the more intellectual, head-focused types (and their associates), while the heart-focused ones tend to be anti-registration. (Generalizing here, obviously.) Which implies that decisions made rationally are less likely to be right than those made emotionally. (Which is why the folks who are actually giving this some thought are so much more interesting.)
The highlight, for me, was Ben's own struggle with where he stands on the registration issue. If it weren't for his friendship with Reed, Ben would seem likely to be firmly on the anti-registration side (although he is a complex kind of guy), and watching him work his way through this--well, it's the first sign I've seen in this whole Civil War thing of the complexities behind the issue.
4: First Family #5/6
Still not as good as the Avengers origin mini-series. It's all right, but if it was an ongoing, it'd be gone. I think the difference (between it and the Avengers series) is that the changes here seem more like additions than expansions, and it just doesn't seem to work as well. It's not really the book I had hoped for when I started getting it. But they've got one more issue to pull it off, here's hoping!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Who Wants to be a Superhero, Week 2 [Spoilers]
We watched again this week, which I guess says something. The kids requested it, which is pretty rare (apart from their Friday night ritual viewing of Monk, they don't have a lot of must-see TV).
This week, the heroes first face off against trained attack dogs! They're wearing protective gear, but still pretty scary stuff, especially for kids. The goal was to get across the yard the dogs were guarding, but more important--since getting to the back door required the hero to be stronger than two German Shepherds--was attitude, which seems to be the consistent thread here. Because of this, Stan could be especially subjective in his judgments--they were to show "courage" but his interpretation of whether and how this was displayed was unpredictable. Monkey Girl redeemed herself for her last week's bad showing by letting the dogs drag her around for almost ten minutes, and eventually reached the door. After this test, the heroine Cell Phone Girl was eliminated, as far as I could tell mainly because she complained of a headache, seemingly making that an excuse for her inability to complete the task. The implied message being that "Superheroes don't whine." :)
The rest of the show was devoted to costume makeovers, most of which were pretty "meh," although some were improvements. But this, too, led to an elimination. At each elimination, three candidates are called up, each is told why they're being considered for elimination, and each has to tell Stan why they should be allowed to stay--only one is actually asked to leave, of course. In this case, the hero Tyveculous (sp?) is called up because--when his new costume sucked!--he first told Stan he liked it, then later admitted that he didn't (and returned to his old gear); "Superheroes don't lie." (I thought that this was understandable, actually--after the earlier test, the subjectivity of the testing was very obvious, and the guy really didn't want to risk making Stan angry.) The hero Feedback was called up because he'd made a crack about Tyveculous's new costume, and according to Stan, "Superheroes don't make each other feel bad." (You know, I've got The Avengers on disc, and I know for a fact that the Silver Age team--which Stan wrote--spent plenty of time sniping at and insulting each other. :))
But the one eliminated was Iron Enforcer, who actually hadn't done a damn thing wrong during the costume makeover, but had been called up at--I think--every other elimination opportunity. This was beyond subjective, but all became clear at the end of the show, when Stan recruited him to be...a Super-Villain. Another costume change followed (the seven-year-old's reaction: "Whoa, that's so cool!"). So it seems pretty obvious that this was planned from the start and that Iron Enforcer was chosen for the team in order that he could be dumped at this point. But it's still kind of a neat twist.
I am a little embarassed to admit that this thing is holding my interest :).
This week, the heroes first face off against trained attack dogs! They're wearing protective gear, but still pretty scary stuff, especially for kids. The goal was to get across the yard the dogs were guarding, but more important--since getting to the back door required the hero to be stronger than two German Shepherds--was attitude, which seems to be the consistent thread here. Because of this, Stan could be especially subjective in his judgments--they were to show "courage" but his interpretation of whether and how this was displayed was unpredictable. Monkey Girl redeemed herself for her last week's bad showing by letting the dogs drag her around for almost ten minutes, and eventually reached the door. After this test, the heroine Cell Phone Girl was eliminated, as far as I could tell mainly because she complained of a headache, seemingly making that an excuse for her inability to complete the task. The implied message being that "Superheroes don't whine." :)
The rest of the show was devoted to costume makeovers, most of which were pretty "meh," although some were improvements. But this, too, led to an elimination. At each elimination, three candidates are called up, each is told why they're being considered for elimination, and each has to tell Stan why they should be allowed to stay--only one is actually asked to leave, of course. In this case, the hero Tyveculous (sp?) is called up because--when his new costume sucked!--he first told Stan he liked it, then later admitted that he didn't (and returned to his old gear); "Superheroes don't lie." (I thought that this was understandable, actually--after the earlier test, the subjectivity of the testing was very obvious, and the guy really didn't want to risk making Stan angry.) The hero Feedback was called up because he'd made a crack about Tyveculous's new costume, and according to Stan, "Superheroes don't make each other feel bad." (You know, I've got The Avengers on disc, and I know for a fact that the Silver Age team--which Stan wrote--spent plenty of time sniping at and insulting each other. :))
But the one eliminated was Iron Enforcer, who actually hadn't done a damn thing wrong during the costume makeover, but had been called up at--I think--every other elimination opportunity. This was beyond subjective, but all became clear at the end of the show, when Stan recruited him to be...a Super-Villain. Another costume change followed (the seven-year-old's reaction: "Whoa, that's so cool!"). So it seems pretty obvious that this was planned from the start and that Iron Enforcer was chosen for the team in order that he could be dumped at this point. But it's still kind of a neat twist.
I am a little embarassed to admit that this thing is holding my interest :).
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #3 [Spoilers]
After three issues, the seven-year-old definitely likes this book. The eleven-year-old says "it's okay."
Since the book is aimed at kids, the characters are more "role models" than usual. The characterization is not inconsistent with mainstream Marvel continuity, but it's softened in some ways (particularly with respect to Wolverine and the Hulk).
In this issue we learn that Storm is the Avengers "other leader" (not a deputy), in addition to Captain America. I don't recall offhand whether there was any evidence of this in the first two issues (and the books have disappeared so I can't check at the moment :)). I don't think the kids found it notable. I noticed, though. I remember when I was younger and the Wasp was elected Avengers chairman, I thought that was great--and she did a good job, too, at least until the creative team changed and suddenly the job was too stressful and she quit... There was always that little thrill when a female character showed herself as particularly capable, because you didn't see it all that often--they were, by then, generally competent and on a level with the other heroes, but rarely more than that. A female leader isn't special or even extraordinary to kids now.
(Oh, and to address that other issue, the women's costumes cover them fully apart from Storm's arms. :))
Since the book is aimed at kids, the characters are more "role models" than usual. The characterization is not inconsistent with mainstream Marvel continuity, but it's softened in some ways (particularly with respect to Wolverine and the Hulk).
In this issue we learn that Storm is the Avengers "other leader" (not a deputy), in addition to Captain America. I don't recall offhand whether there was any evidence of this in the first two issues (and the books have disappeared so I can't check at the moment :)). I don't think the kids found it notable. I noticed, though. I remember when I was younger and the Wasp was elected Avengers chairman, I thought that was great--and she did a good job, too, at least until the creative team changed and suddenly the job was too stressful and she quit... There was always that little thrill when a female character showed herself as particularly capable, because you didn't see it all that often--they were, by then, generally competent and on a level with the other heroes, but rarely more than that. A female leader isn't special or even extraordinary to kids now.
(Oh, and to address that other issue, the women's costumes cover them fully apart from Storm's arms. :))
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